Skype, Dissent and MERS: Concerns for Saudi Authorities
STEVE ROYSTON: Protecting telco operators revenues, internal dissent, labour rights and a dangerous virus. Difficult times for the Saudi authorities
In Praise of The Late Carol Fleming Aka ‘American Bedu’
STEVE ROYSTON: I was inspired to blog by Carol Fleming. She wrote with great feeling and affection about the country she loved, Saudi Arabia
The Morality of Killing: What’s So Special About Drones?
STEVE ROYSTON: Is killing via a missile fired remotely by a drone any different morally from killing by poison gas or a nuclear weapon?
Persuasion, Not Laws, Needed to Encourage Spoken Arabic
STEVE ROYSTON: It’s a debate with no end, apparently. How to encourage ‘guest workers’ to become more fluent in Arabic. Is legislation necessary?
Expat Life: Things I Would / Would Not Miss
There’s been a lot of coming and going in the Gulf region of late. In Saudi Arabia, which is making strenuous efforts to slim down its expatriate population, and Bahrain, where foreigners are reconsidering their status in light of the country’s continuing instability, the going has been more frequent than the coming.
STEVE ROYSTON: There’s been a lot of coming and going in the Gulf. In some countries going has been more frequent than coming.
Good Business: The Guru Season is Now
This is motivational speaker season. Before the weather gets insufferably hot – between June and October – a stream of high-profile personalities come here on paid gigs to bestow their wisdom upon us locals. If you’re Bahraini, the government pays most of the cost of the ticket. If not, you’ll have to stump up a price equivalent to that for a headline act in Vegas – anything in the range of $80-$150.
STEVE ROYSTON: This is motivational speaker season when a stream of “gurus” come on paid gigs to bestow their wisdom $80-$150 a time.
Boston Cool: Measured Response Required
So Boston, it seems, has had its 9/11. Not on the scale of the New York attacks, of course. But the shock will be almost as deep.
STEVE ROYSTON: So Boston, it seems, has had its 9/11. Not on the scale of the New York attacks, of course. But the shock will be almost as deep.
Reassessing Margaret Thatcher, 1925 – 2013
I breathed a sigh of relief when Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in 1991. She was a divisive politician, and I found myself on the anti-Thatcher side of the divide.
STEVE ROYSTON: Margaret Thatcher was a divisive politician, and I found myself on the anti-Thatcher side of the divide.
The Fine Art of Political Insult, Bahrain-Style
STEVE ROYSTON: Yet another lively debate in the Bahraini parliament this week and the insults were running thick and fast. They follow in a long line distinguished (or not!) company
Bahrain vs Dubai: To Live and To Do Business
STEVE ROYSTON: Two years ago I wrote about the comparative advantages of Bahrain and Dubai and came down firmly on one side. What now though?
Football: Buying into Globalised Britain
Top flight football in England continues to be at the wild frontier of business – to the extent that it’s a business at all. I’m with Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the English League Managers Association when he says that the number of sackings of soccer managers in the English professional game is “embarrassing”.
STEVE ROYSTON: Many of their forays into football look like bouts of temporary insanity from where I stand. But then I guess it’s more fun than investing in a bank, and no more risky.
Business ABCs: Doing Business With Friends
The other day I broke one of my major rules in life. In consequence, shortly thereafter, I broke another.
STEVE ROYSTON: The other day I broke one of my major rules in life. In consequence, shortly thereafter, I broke another.
‘Kneel at the Altar of Productivity’. Or Perhaps Don’t.
STEVE ROYSTON: Workers in the Middle East may be forgiven for pointing out the double standards of Western economists when discussing the issue of productivity
Bahrain: My Blueprint for Its Economic Success
STEVE ROYSTON: Bahrain has a growing young population and the challenges the island state faces in ensuring they’re fully employed are considerable
‘Oh, How It Used To Be’: The Fate Awaiting Yahoo
STEVE ROYSTON: As Yahoo slips into ‘tech-middle-age’ its leaders must adapt to a reality or face inevitable extinction
LinkedIn and Me: It’s A Complicated Relationship
STEVE ROYSTON: I don’t like being manipulated by a software engine but that’s the price you pay to remain, well, linked in.
The Enduring Appeal of ‘The Very Human’ Ibn Battuta
STEVE ROYSTON: His skill, wit and humour have brought the great traveller, Ibn Battuta, vividly to life. The latest on his travels delivers again.
Hitler, Friend of the Arabs? Twisted History in the Region
STEVE ROYSTON: It’s not just the Second World War that has been warped by teachers, politicians and others for their own purposes.
Culture: What Really Drives Middle East Companies?
STEVE ROYSTON: An enormous amount of time, money and energy is wasted trying to ‘change corporate culture’. But what are the characteristics of a Middle East organisation?
